Why Lions Fans are Feeling So Hacked Off....

[whiskylion]

By rights, where we are in the table would normally mean we are all pretty upbeat and happy with life. Unbeaten in eight would have us bubbling. And counting down the minutes to the next game.

But we aren't, are we. Quite the opposite, in fact. There is little enthusiasm about gifting iFollow with another tenner - and, from what I can gather on here, fewer and fewer are. So why is this?

I think something the manager has entirely lost sight of, is the fact that while he and all the players are getting paid as per normal (and very handsomely so), there is a significant swathe of Millwall support that is enduring financial hardship, plus the misery of being unable to see loved ones, or fearing for their jobs - if they have not lost them already.

All they ask for is that their football team makes some kind of attempt to entertain them for 90 minutes - and give us all a much-needed lift and buzz, to add some colour to the Covid-routine grey of our lives.

Saturday really was the pits. Not one single person enjoyed one single moment of that dire game and felt no pride whatsoever in the cowardly way we tackled a team that is Div 1 standard.

As you know, I have Millwall programmes going right back to 1891/92 season. And for every single season the programme notes, which began in 1910, were all about the players trying to entertain their supporters. And apologies if they failed to do so.

The mindset we have endured since Harris took charge has been one of excessive conservatism and fear. Yes, pragmatism has to come into play when you are struggling near the foot of the table desperate for points. But that is not the case here. We are not going up, we are not going down.

The manager has made some great signings, especially in Evans (who provided the only shafts of light in the dullest 90 minutes you'll ever have the misfortune to see) and Dutch and the bringing back Malone: a masterstroke. We are on the right track and Rowett is to applauded for attracting these players to The Den. But the games against Watford and Wycombe were both as genuinely negative as anything I have seen from Millwall in over 50 years. Not to mention excruciatingly, brain-crushingly, soul-destroyingly dull. Indeed, Saturday was as bad as Harris' shocking, jelly-spined no show at doomed, basket-case Bolton a couple of years back.

Even during the First and Second World Wars Millwall sent out teams purely to entertain their supporters in times of struggle.

So why can't we just be entertained?

Talk about out of sight and out of mind....

 

[kevrelles]

By rights, where we are in the table would normally mean we are all pretty upbeat and happy with life. Unbeaten in eight would have us bubbling. And counting down the minutes to the next game.

But we aren't, are we. Quite the opposite, in fact. There is little enthusiasm about gifting iFollow with another tenner - and from what I can gather on here, fewer and fewer are. So why is this?

I think something the manager has entirely lost sight of, is the fact that while he and all the players are getting paid as per normal (and very handsomely so), there is a significant swathe of Millwall support that is enduring financial hardship, plus the misery of being unable to see loved ones, or fearing for their jobs - if they have not lost them already.

All they ask for is that their football team makes some kind of attempt to entertain them for 90 minutes - and give us all a much-needed lift and buzz, to add some colour to the Covid-routine grey of our lives.

Saturday really was the pits. Not one single person enjoyed one single moment of that dire game and felt no pride whatsoever in the cowardly way we tackled a team that is Div 1 standard.

As you know, I have Millwall programmes going right back to 1891/92 season. And for every single season the programme notes, which began in 1910, were all about the players trying to entertain their supporters. And apologies if they failed to do so.

The mindset we have endured since Harris took charge has been one of excessive conservatism and fear. Yes, pragmatism has to come into play when you are struggling near the foot of the table desperate for points. But that is not the case here. We are not going up, we are not going down.

The manager has made some great signings, especially in Evans (who provided the only shafts of light in the dullest 90 minutes you'll ever have the misfortune to see) and Dutch and the bringing back Malone: a masterstroke. We are on the right track and Rowett is to applauded for attracting these players too The Den. But the games against Watford and Wycombe were both as genuinely negative as anything I have seen from Millwall in over 50 years. Not to mention excruciatingly, brain-crushingly, soul-destroyingly dull. Indeed, Saturday was as bad as Harris' shocking, jelly-spined no show at doomed, basket-case Bolton a couple of years back.

Even during the First and Second World Wars Millwall sent out teams purely to entertain their supporters in times of struggle.

So why can't we just be entertained?

Talk about out of sight and out of mind....

Rowett is 1 million% the problem.

 

[kevrelles]

He even drops a kid who played brilliant just to accommodate the fist. The very same person who said we are cunts in not so many words. But he gets picked unfuckingbelievable.

 

[Andover_Lion]

Spot on Whisky. In my living memory, no matter who we play at home, we’ve always had a go. This is the reason we’ve probably been the best giant killer in FA cup history.

But the game on Saturday, never seen anything like it. angry emoji doesn’t do it justice.

 

[ringo_the_lion]

If their was a crowd on saturday the team would had been booed off at half time and Rowett would had had a few choice words ringing in his ears by the time he reached the dressing room. He would had told the players in no uncertain terms that first half was unacceptable and they would had responded with a second half of plenty of effort.
Instead it seems he sent them back out to do plenty of the same with a little nudge that if we get a chance of scoring take it. I feel we are much better than we are playing but are being held back, let them loose what's the worse that can happen?

 

[Cranham Lion]

Rowett is part of the problem. The other issue is that 50% of the team are not good enough for this division. It's why Evans and Dutch stood out from day 1.

 

[Ilderton Wanderer]

Without wanting to sound like a GR apologist you have factor in the absence of fans at The Den. Watch back the match highlights on the clubs YouTube channel and you can hear that matches are being played out in near silent conditions. It must be hard for the players to raise that extra 10% that usually lifts the team when The Den is in full voice.

I know that all clubs are having to face the same conditions but we are constantly boasting of our unique atmosphere at home games so even the most ardent of Rowett critics will have to admit that the lack of support and shall we say ‘constructive criticism’ is playing a big part. Could you imagine a 12-13k crowd letting Birmingham’s handball on the line go unchallenged or the tackle on Thommo only being a caution?

My point is that with fans inside The Den there have been so many draws I’m convinced we would have demanded more from the players and Rowett himself and that we would be at least four points better off.

 

[lottwall]

Rowett is the problem. The negative , overly defensive rubbish he serves up is woeful. Luton at home and Sheffield Weds second half aside , we have been so dull this season. The enjoyment of watching us play now is all but over. It’s just something I do rather than something I want to do.

 

[kevrelles]

I'm not having that argument so how comes then we can play brilliant for a couple of games but then resort back to type.fuck all to do with fans being in attendance or not.its the shit manager end of.

Without wanting to sound like a GR apologist you have factor in the absence of fans at The Den. Watch back the match highlights on the clubs YouTube channel and you can hear that matches are being played out in near silent conditions. It must be hard for the players to raise that extra 10% that usually lifts the team when The Den is in full voice.

I know that all clubs are having to face the same conditions but we are constantly boasting of our unique atmosphere at home games so even the most ardent of Rowett critics will have to admit that the lack of support and shall we say ‘constructive criticism’ is playing a big part. Could you imagine a 12-13k crowd letting Birmingham’s handball on the line go unchallenged or the tackle on Thommo only being a caution?

My point is that with fans inside The Den there have been so many draws I’m convinced we would have demanded more from the players and Rowett himself and that we would be at least four points better off.

 

[wall to wall 82]

We always do best playing 4 4 2 good keeper no nonsense defence 1 holding 1 attack minded midfielder 2 good wingers 2 decent strikers . seems all managers now want to play this 1 up front crap

 

[Cranham Lion]

I think GR warrants one more pre-season and hopefully a couple of decent signings to make it work. If we don't improve, then he will get slaughtered and rightly so.

 

[wellerwasbest]

Yeah you make some good points
I think some of us maybe feel a bit guilty for "having a pop" or being seen to be doing that by others
After all when you look at some of the giants of the game like Charlton HA , Sunderland, Wigan Portsmouth etc they are below us not even in the same division,
And ive seen us play under the days Peter Anderson, and some times under Petchey, losing at Slough etc etc
I cant believe how ive lost a lot of love and interest like many others i think on here with regard to football and its now only really Millwall that holds our interest and passion

I have not watched MOTD for a couple of years now , not just cos that smug arrogant overpaid cunt is on it,just zero interest, a load of overpaid blokes whos names you cant pronounce and dont care about falling over and Var and all the other shit now also with the pricks going down on their knees with all the fakeness
Aint got sky , watch England but even then im normally doing something on the computer etc with just one eye on it

The thing is with Millwall unlike many other clubs and all that goes with it the one thing all of us can agree on i think , its never been boring, on the field and off it......

NOW it kind of is

 

[bazzwall]

caught between 2 stools we are attempting playing football on a quagmire with long ball merchants. Away these tactics pay off, the oppos are mesmerised.

 

[kevrelles]

I think GR warrants one more pre-season and hopefully a couple of decent signings to make it work. If we don't improve, then he will get slaughtered and rightly so.

You are joking ? Any cunt who signs zohore does not deserve to be in football in any capacity. Big ears is shit he makes the team play in the same mould shit.

 

[Ulster Lion]

Quoting Whisky, We're not going up, we're not going down, should surely inspire the squad to have a fucking go. I get playing safe if we're at either ends of the table, but fuck me, at this stage of the season, and with no crowds, play to attack, set up to attack, substitute to attack, and play the fucking ball forward.
This playing defensively is mind numbing for us all.

 

[Cranham Lion]

I don't rate Zohore but I do rate Evans and Dutch. So I'm 50/50 on GR at the moment. But like you (and others have already said), people's patience is wearing out with the negative football being played at home. Away from home it's fine but not at home. At least by playing two shit strikers it might put their back four under a bit of pressure occasionally. Maybe.

 

[Lionchel]

Without fans and pipped atmosphere I just feel like we are watching a reserve game

 

[Phlion54]

This team is not a millwall team.....it is a cowardly back to wall excuse for a team and that is down to the manager and the senior players who seem to accept this negative style.
you are quite right by having no fans in the ground he is getting away with murder.....fed up with " next season with his own players"......Will he or can he get over the fear of losing at the cost of complete shite football....Saturday was the lowest we can sink in terms of set up & tactics...... It looks like we are going to stay in this division....Will give it till the end of this month if we continue on his "park the bus" football will give it a miss till the new season.....and I never thought I would say that.

 

[SE1]

Total boring shit football, been watching wall and remembering the games since 71 first game in 67 in the past we have had some shit sides but at least the had a go , as some have said if crowds were allowed in they would not get away with it and GR would be on his bike by now. His past record shows he has always played a defensive system, it's not the Millwall way. i remember people shouting to Dumphy a great player if he held the ball to long and to get it forward, But on a brighter side you never know whats around the corner, if it was not a fact who would thought the Village Idiot whould have taken two teams up to the top flight, Strange Game?

 

[The Humble One]

Meanwhile on Sky virtually the whole studio plus commentators are well nigh having a group orgasim over **ys**l P**a*e's fucking abysmal performance tonight. Shows the difference in standards.